Frozen
by Silmarwen-Nenharma
Summary: A young woman tries to take her own life, but she is saved by a lonely knight. Can she save him as well?
1. Chapter 1

Morin trekked across her frozen yard. Feet lost all feeling as the bare toes crushed the delicate snowflakes with every step. Blood dripping from her open wrists stained the pristine landscape with her life. The chill raised goose bumps along her skin as it shrieked around her silent form. The dark lake loomed before her as she crept closer and closer. When she reached the lake she could see the mountains rising along the opposite bank like immense sentinels guarding the lake. The lake's surface was a glossy black; there was no movement as far as Morin could see.

She was completely alone, but this was what she was used to. Her life teemed with instances of being shunned and met with hatred wherever she traveled. People couldn't cope with her strangeness and so were determined to keep her away. She tried to be content with living on the fringes of society, but her heart was slowly being washed away bit by bit by the bone-crushing loneliness. She decided that she couldn't live in that way any longer.

The freezing waters washed over her pale flesh as she stepped into its icy grasp. Continuing forward she sank deeper and deeper into the water. Her nightgown swirled around her body like a ghostly mist. When she reached a spot where the water was level with her chest, she slipped fully under the surface. To make sure she couldn't rise back to the surface she tore a strip of cloth from her gown and tightly bound her ankle to a large submerged log. Once she was held down she released all of her captured air. She watched calmly as the blood from her wrists mingled with the air bubbles as they both floated to the surface; away from her.

Pain suddenly gripped her chest and panic shot through her entire body as it realized she was slowly dying. Her body shook in violent convulsions while her mind flashed between wakefulness and unconsciousness. After a few minutes her body ceased to move and a warm feeling washed over her. Blackness closed over her eyes, but then a white light flashed and she passed out.

Outside of her consciousness a loud splash sounded in the water. A sharp tug pulled against the tether on her leg and it came loose, then a pair of strong hands wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her body toward the surface. Air pushed its way into her lungs, displacing the water trapped in her chest making her cough hysterically. Her body was gently laid upon the lakeshore on her side. Her throat was on fire from the amount of water she began vomiting. Once her body had expelled all of the water from her system the mystery savior scooped her up in their arms and carried her bridal style, dripping water and blood, away from the lake. Morin was exhausted from her near death and passed out once more in the arms of her rescuer.


	2. Chapter 2

Her mind was rife with images of death while she was "sleeping". She saw her self-induced drowning repeatedly. The pain of her drowning continuously shot through her chest, causing her to cry out in her delirium. Suddenly she shot up, panting. She was drenched with sweat with her long red hair plastered to her face. Once she began to relax, she absorbed her surroundings. She looked to find herself lying in a twin-sized bed covered with a scratchy wool blanket. The wounds on her wrists were bound in clean white cloth with small spots of blood beginning to seep through the protective covering. She also noticed that she was dry, albeit besides the vicious sweating. Her soaking wet nightgown was hanging from a small wooden chair in front of a roaring fireplace on the opposite side of the room. Morin then noticed that she was wearing a clean nightgown. She was grateful to whoever helped her, but she still felt violated for someone having changed her.

The sound of a door opening brought her out of her revelry and to the present moment. A woman quietly entered the room. She had pale orange hair, she was an average height and weight, and wore a simple brown serving dress. Once she had silently closed the door she turned around and jumped, shocked to see Morin. "Oh thank the lord you're awake! I wasn't sure you ever would, you had such a bad fever." She quickly made her way over to Morin's bedside and put her hand on Morin's head. "Well, the fever's definitely broken, that's very good." She then looked down at the blood beginning to seep through the bandages. "Oh dear, it look like I'll have to change those again."

The woman then made her way to a small table with different cloths on it. She ripped several into strips and dropped them into a bowl of a mysterious liquid then took the bowl over to Morin and sat down beside her. Then she began to peel the old bandages off of Morin's wrists. Bits of crusted blood were pulled off the skin, causing more bleeding. Morin was shocked at how raw her wounds seemed. They were fairly deep and slightly jagged, looking as if though the skin was ripped apart instead of being open. Her wrists throbbed in pain and were tender to the nurse's touch. The woman began to lay the bandages gently over Morin's wrists; the mysterious liquid they had been soaked in was cooling to her skin. The nurse's hands were gentle and steady as they wrapped the bandages.

"Must have been a monster that did this to you, poor thing." The nurse exclaimed. "To think, that someone could do something like this. You were very close to dying!" Morin was surprised that the woman wasn't able to tell that she had done it to herself. However, she could see that the woman had worked fairly hard to make her well and she didn't want her to know. She decided to keep what truly happened as much of a secret as she possibly could. "Look at all of these bruises!" The woman sounded shocked as she lifted up Morin's sleeve to reveal several bruises in varying stages of healing. "It's just awful what some people will do to each other." Morin blushed slightly at this stranger's concern and dropped her head to her chest to hide her shame. The woman put her hand under Morin's chin and gently raised her head until their eyes met. "You don't have to be afraid dear, you're safe now." The woman assured.

She finished wrapping Morin's wounds and rose to put the liquid-filled bowl back on the table, then turned to Morin. "You should go back to sleep dear, you still need rest." The woman quietly left Morin alone with her thoughts. Morin was shocked by the amount of caring and compassion from a complete stranger.

She couldn't believe that she was rescued only moments away from death. No one lived anywhere near her home deep in the black woods so there was no risk of being found by neighbors, and no one would dare enter the territory at leisure. Her home was said to be cursed because she lived there. All of the inhabitants of the village that was situated on the outskirts of the woods kept their distance from its gloomy depths so there was almost no way that there could've been someone to witness her drowning in time to save her. So her question was; how was it possible? Who save her? Her eyelids drooped with exhaustion so she decided to take the woman's advice and sleep. She laid back down on the pillows and curled into a protective ball under the covers. She was going to need her strength for the trial of fabricating a story for her wounds. She wasn't about to spill her secrets to the strangers no matter what they had to for her. She knew what people were truly like, they seemed as though they wanted to help her then but they would turn on her if they discovered what she was. She wouldn't let herself be led to suicide again. Accompanied by these dark thoughts she drifted off to sleep. Fortunately, her slumber was devoid of dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

Several hours later she awoke once more. Her nurse wasn't in the room and her legs were feeling cramped so she decided t leave her room to stretch and explore. She cast the blankets and rose from the bed, her bare feet touching the floor. She crossed the room and silently opened the door. It was mostly dark in the hallway so she assumed that it was either late night or very early morning, so she knew that there wouldn't be anyone up and about so she could wander in peace. She slipped out of the room and down the hallway, her bare feet padding softly on the cool stone underfoot.

As she came to an opening she felt a cold breeze and found herself in an open courtyard. It was dimly lit by the first rays of the rising sun. There wasn't a living thing awake; she was all alone once again. Her breath made a small cloud in the cool morning air. Taking in her surroundings, she noticed that she was in a kind of fortress with high stone walls surrounding the dirt courtyard. On the opposite side there was a spiked metal gate closing off what seemed to be a small compound inside the looming walls. She crossed the yard to the gate and saw that it was locked. The bars were much too close together to slip through; so she began to look for another way out. Along the wall there was a set of large stone steps leading upward to the battlements, she decided on this route and began to climb them. When she reached the top she found herself looking over a vast field of green, the early morning dew making the lush grass glisten in the sunlight. She thought the scene was very beautiful with its rolling hills. She had spent so much time hidden in her forest she had forgotten the beauty of the open air.

She stood for several minutes staring at the landscape when she heard the cry of a falcon high above her head. She looked up to see it circling overhead, flying closer with each pass. It came closer to her and landed on a stone outpost next to her. She was wary of the creature as she eyed its razor-sharp claws and beak, but it only stared at her with its large golden eyes. They stared at each other until Morin heard a low whistle. The falcon leapt off of the ledge and glided into the courtyard where it landed on the outstretched arm of a man. Morin was amazed that she hadn't heard him at all for she had excellent hearing. She couldn't see his face very well, not only because she was high above him but because his face was obscured by his short dark brown braids.

A bell suddenly rang out shattering the still morning air. The sound startled both individuals and their heads simultaneously snapped toward the direction that the disturbance originated from. But when the man turned to look back at the strange woman she was nowhere to be seen. He suddenly thought that she had been his imagination, she looked just like the woman that he had saved from that freezing black lake but she was weak and sleeping. Vanora had told him so. He brushed the incident off and walked back into the building.

Morin had slipped over the battlement before the man had time to look back at her and she was crouching in the damp grass far below the wall. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was grateful to those who helped her, but she knew that it would be better for all if she made her way back home. She picked herself up off of the ground and began to jog toward the forest praying that no one would notice her. She silently sped across the open field and hid herself among the trees, only then did she slow down. She began picking her way through the wood trying to find her way home. The wood she was in was nothing like the one that she lived in. The forest she was traveling through was lush and green. The sound of critters rustling in the undergrowth accompanied the golden light that was filtering through the green leaves overhead. The forest that she called home was dark and foreboding. The trees were dark and twisted with no foliage. There was a constant fog along the ground so one could barely see their own two feet accompanied by a dark chill that seeped into one's very bones. No creatures, let alone humans, ventured into the woods so it was permeated with silence that was oppressive at times.

Morin was not used to such brightness she had spent so much time alone in the dark. She had fled into the dark wood because she knew that everyone would be too frightened to chase her in it. She hid herself from the world in the depths of that forest, it was her sanctuary but also her prison. Morin was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the heavy footsteps of two soldiers coming her way. She was pulled out of her dark memories by a gruff voice yelling at her.

"Hey!" A gruff voice exclaimed in order to get Morin's attention. "What's a pretty lady like you doing out her all by yourself?" He asked in a smooth voice.

"Yeah, it's dangerous out her. The woads might come and steal you away." The second man added. Their last comment confused Morin, she knew that the woad was a plant that she used to make blue dye but she highly doubted that the soldiers were concerned about her getting attacked by plants. "Why don't you come back to the fort with us, we'll protect you." The second man offered in a prideful voice.

"Don't worry about making it up to us; you can thank us later tonight after a few drinks." The first said in a husky voice with eyes in his voice as they roamed over her body in her thin white nightgown.

"No thank you gentlemen I'm just taking a stroll." Morin politely refused even though her instincts were screaming danger.

"Oh, so you think that you're too good for us eh?" The first man asked angrily.

"No I was just taking a walk. I wouldn't want to waste your time." Morin calmly explained as she began backing slowly away from the two men.

"It's no trouble at all." The first man quickly strode over to Morin and grabbed her roughly by the wrists. She tried to pull her wrists away but the soldier's strong hands kept an iron grip on her, she could feel the skin bruising from the crushing force. Horrific images passed through her mind as the fear in her gut burst forth and pushed adrenaline through her veins in preparation for a fight or flight. "Let me go." Morin demanded in as strong a voice as she could muster.

"I don't think so." The second man remarked as he slowly approached the young woman. Morin prepared herself for a fight for she knew what was coming. Men such as the soldiers saw her as weak and always tried to take advantage of her. But they were the weak ones; they were the ones who would suffer for their sins. Shadows passed over Morin's face as she readied herself to attack but in the back of her mind her ears picked up the thunderous sound of a horse nearing them.

The soldier's heads twisted to observe the sound's maker and found a large white horse with a man astride its back. His posture emulated that he was someone of importance, his red cape and armor gave him a regal presence and caused the soldiers to stop and gawk. The soldiers seemed to stand breathless and stupefied before they came to their senses and dropped to their knees in respect. The first soldier's hand was still clutching Morin's wrist so she was roughly pulled down and was scraped by the rough forest floor. "Sir Arthur." The two exclaimed in reverence to the man in front of them. Morin was unable to free herself from the soldier's clutch and so had to kneel on the ground beside her captor until the newcomer left and she could make her escape.

"What's going on here gentlemen?" The mystery man questioned.

"Sir, we were but aiding this helpless female find her way home." The man clutching wrist nodded in her direction to acknowledge her presence.

"What are you doing out her alone?" Arthur asked, seeming to have genuine interest and concern. Before Morin could reply the second man cut her off.

"She was merely taking a stroll Sir. Enjoying the scenery of this lovely wood when we came upon her and she requested our assistance." Arthur narrowed his eyes in suspicion toward the soldier's shaky explanation.

"Well then I am sure that I could perform such a task for you so you would not be taken from your work."

"But sir-"The first soldier argued.

"You two should patrol the perimeter; I will escort the young lady home." Arthur commanded in a stern voice that left no room for argument. The two soldiers looked at each other in surprise that this great commander would concern himself with a lowly woman. Morin's captor reluctantly released her wrist as the two men stood up. Morin remained kneeling as they slowly turned and walked away. Morin rubbed her now red wrist which made her wince in discomfort. That was the second time that someone had saved her recently, it was more than had happened in many years. It was starting to bother her. Morin was very accustomed to doing such things for herself; she found it disconcerting that someone would care enough to take the time to help her. Such things went against everything that she knew about the selfish and hard-hearted creatures that were human beings.

Arthur watched her as she stared into the air past him, eyes glazed over with deep contemplation. "Madam?"He called out tentatively trying to grab her attention. He knew this woman, at least somewhat. She was the one that his knight Tristan had saved from an icy death in the lake. What was doing alone in the woods he had no idea, she was lucky that he was there to protect her from those soldiers.

Morin was snapped out of her dark thoughts by the man's voice and turned her bright green eyes toward him and stared. Concern crossed his face as he gazed into her cold eyes. "Are you all right?" He asked

"I'm fine." She said emotionlessly. She slowly rose up from the ground and walked over to Arthur and his horse. He extended his hand to her and pulled her up onto his horse and she sat behind him. She wrapped her thin arms around his waist and they set off at a jog. Wind whipped at their hair and clothes as they sped through the forest and then suddenly burst into the open air, into the open fields. From the distance away from the fort, Morin could see the large settlement surrounding the high stone walls and the large wooden doors barring the entrance. She was awed by the size of the place; it was immense. She was wary to return to its confines, such a place reminded her of a prison. The ones who chased her into the forest had first imprisoned her in a dark stone fortress. Going back to a place that reminded her of that time made her heart beat erratically and her breath uneven.

Arthur slowed the horse to a walk as they neared the entrance, the guards must have recognized him for the door swung open with a thunderous creak to admit them inside. More time had passed than Morin thought; the settlement was fully awake and bustling with people and animals. The noise hurt Morin's ears as she wasn't used to so much activity; she was used to being in the suffocating silence of her home. Chills were sent up her spine as her "rescuer" transported her through the mass of bodies crushing together in the narrow main street of the fort like waves on a rocky shore. The sheer amount of living creatures in one place made her very uncomfortable, not to mention that most were blatantly staring at her with their eyes wide. Morin had the extreme urge to jump off of Arthur's horse and battle her way through the crowd and run until she reached the solitude of her home.

She was very lonely in her exile, but seeing so many people all at once was overwhelming and she began to panic. She was so wrapped in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the horse passing through the tall metal gate into the courtyard that she had been in earlier that morning. Arthur pulled the horse to a stop and dismounted then turned and aided Morin to the ground.

Before the silence became awkward Morin's nurse made her presence known, loudly. "What do you think you're doing?" Her fiery red hair blazed in the early morning sun and Morin could feel the woman's annoyance. "You're injured, you should be resting!" Morin was shocked once more that his woman would care about her so vehemently. But suddenly her anger was turned upon Arthur in a frightening show of speed. "What were you doing with her outside?" Arthur jumped in surprise to find the woman's accusing gaze turned on him.

"I found her out in the woods; she would still be there if I hadn't brought her back." Arthur replied. Even though he left out the part about the soldiers it wasn't technically a lie because if he hadn't found her she would have taken care of the guards and would have been well on her way home, far away from the fort. But Morin was thankful that he hadn't mentioned the soldiers, she didn't feel that it was anyone else's business. The redhead wasted no time on thinking about the new development and instead turned her anger back to Morin.

"What were you doing out there?" Before Morin could answer her nurse interrupted. "Well, no matter. It's back to bed with you." She said in a motherly tone as she began to herd Morin into the stone building. Turning her head Morin caught a last glimpse of Arthur's red cape before the cold stone walls closed around her once more.


	4. Chapter 4

The nurse led Morin down the corridor to her room by her wrists, conscious of the thick bandages wrapped around them.

"I can't believe that you just up and left! You should be resting; you just barely got over your fever last night!" The nurse dragged Morin back into her room rather brusquely and stood staring at her, arms akimbo. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Morin stared blankly at the nurse, at a loss for words. Just as she wasn't used to compassion she wasn't used to having to answer for her actions. Morin took a deep breath before answering, carefully searching for an appropriate reply.

"I was unaware that I was not supposed to leave this room. My muscles felt cramped and I felt the need to walk about and exercise them. I'm sorry if I've made you upset, that wasn't my intention." Morin had the right idea to make her face look sad and remorseful to lessen her nurse's anger. It was a good idea for the nurse dropped her arms to her sides and gave Morin a look of understanding

"Oh I'm sorry dear; I didn't mean to upset you. I should have guessed that you needed some time outside after being cooped up for so long. I was just worried that something happened when I returned and found that you were gone."

Morin replied, "Thank you for your help, I am very grateful. I would like to thank you properly but I don't even know your name."

The nurse's eyes widened in her shock. "Oh my! I never did tell you, my name is Vanora."

"I'm Morin."

"Well it's very nice to meet you Morin. How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little tired, I think I would like to go back to sleep."

"I think that is a good idea, you rest and I'll come back to wake you in a little while soe we can get some food in you. Sleep well Morin."

"Thank you Vanora."

Morin lied back in her bed as her nurse Vanora slipped silently out of the room. Snuggling under her warm covers, sleep soon overcame her and she fell into a deep sleep once more.

Morin's dreamland was wracked with a large earthquake, but as she was brought out of her sleep she realized that she was being shaken by her nurse Vanora.

"Wake up dear, time to eat." Vanora explained.

Morin rose slowly from her warm cocoon of blankets and sheets. She swung her bare feet over the side of the bed and hissed in displeasure at the cold of the hard stone floor. Still half asleep, she walked toward the heavy wooden door but was stopped by a gentle hand on her arm.

"You can't go out in a nightgown Morin." Vanora exclaimes.

That piece of information fully woke Morin as her cheeks reddened with embarrassment at the mere thought of more people seeing too much of her body.

"Oh, I didn't even realize." Morin stated quietly.

"Don't worry; I've brought you some clothes to change into." Vanora walked to her chair and picked up a small pile of cloth and held it out to Morin. "I'll step out for a minute so you can change in private."

Morin took the clothes from Vanora, then the nurse slipped out of the room once more. Morin laid her new clothes on the bed so she could undress. She gingerly slipped the sheer nightgown over her body, trying to care of her wrists so that she didn't bend them too much. Once the nightgown had been removed once could see the many bruises and scars that riddled her otherwise smooth white skin. She became lost in her thoughts as she remembered how she received the fresh bruises.

_Morin had been walking through the small village of Caroch, the one on the outskirts of her wood. She had simply gone into the town to buy some of the provisions that she needed that she couldn't grow or make herself. She had been about to go into one of the small shops when a sharp pain raced through her back. It didn't hurt so bad but it took her by such surprise that she ended up falling to her knees._

_ "You don't belong here witch!" A deep burly voice shouted._

_Morin looked behind her to see the blacksmith stand outside of his forge holding a piece of charcoal in his hands, she deduced that he had thrown a previous piece at her. _

_ "We don't want your kind in our town devil spawn!" The previously calm and timid townsfolk began to turn into hostile monsters at the strength of hate in the blacksmith's voice. _

_Fear and adrenaline began to course through Morin's veins at lightening speed. She knew that if she didn't get control of the situation that something terrible would be sure to occur. Another pain wracked her body as these thoughts race through her mind, a rock had been thrown by a young man, a boy even. Feelings of regret and disappointment washed over her as she thought of the innocence lost in the hatred burning in the youth's eyes._

_Soon more rocks began to hail down upon Morin as she sat defenseless upon the cold hard ground. As her body was pelted with stones, rage sparked deep in her belly and burned her heart. A screaming noise started to wail in her head and she clutched herself in reaction to the internal and external pain. She felt a white hot anger fill her blood and heat poured off of her body. Suddenly there was a bright flash and a rumble._

_As the light faded Morin's pain evaporated and she sighed deeply in relief. But once she was able to see she wished she couldn't; the sight that met her eyes was one of pain and misery. The few villagers that had grouped together lied in charred remains along the cobblestone road. Morin stared in horror at the lifeless shells of the villagers that she once knew. She rose to her feet shakily and began to run towards the woods, tears streaming down her face._

Morin was brought out of her dark memories by a pounding at the door. "Are you almost ready Morin?" Vanora asked.

"I'll be out in a minute." Morin replied. She grabbed the topmost layer of clothing from the pile which was a pair of soft leather trousers. She put them on quickly and then took a pile of bandages left on the table and wrapped them around her breasts to make some semblance of an undergarment. Then she took the shirt and slipped it over her head and pulled on a pair of worn hunter knee high boots. She was amazed that everything fit her so well but thought that since Vanora was the one who changed her nightgown that she knew Morin's body fairly well and thereby knew her approximate size. Once again her cheeks reddened in embarrassment at the thought of someone seeing too much of her body.

Since she was ready she walked toward the door and left her new sanctuary. Morin was used to being cooped up in her house but since she had been stuck in the fort the room she first woke up in had begun to be a new safe haven where she could escape all of the curious and hateful stares.

Vanora was waiting outside the door patiently. "Well you certainly took your time. Now let's get you some food, you look half starved."

Morin crossed her arms self-consciously to cover her thin body. She was slender from her exercises and maintaining her forest home, but at times she would go for days at a time without eating because that void in her stomach was simpler to tolerate than the one in her soul. Her hunger pangs would take her mind off the horrible things that invaded her dreams in the middle of the night.

Vanora led Morin through the mass of corridors to another open courtyard filled with wooden tables and benches filled with people, Morin could also see a bar on the other side of the space. Morin could feel the hot stares of the men following her form as she trailed Vanora toward an empty table. Vanora forced Morin onto a bench and disappeared into a room behind the bar. Morin kept her eyes focused onto the pockmarked table in front of her. She felt the eyes of the other diners burning into her back. She allowed her thick black hair to fall about her face in a curtain in an attempt to hide herself and discourage the blatant stares. She was tempted to evacuate her seat and retreat to her room and continue to hide from the world.

Suddenly she felt a large hand on her shoulder. She didn't jump but a familiar burning in the pit of her stomach. The screaming wail was a whisper in her mind that began to gather strength until she heard a familiar deep voice say, "Milady?"


End file.
